


Webb's Tales

by JkWriter



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tales, High School, Magic, Mystery, Reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 06:06:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6458842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JkWriter/pseuds/JkWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iris didn't start high school with the intention of being a main character. Sometimes it just happens. Meeting Leo only makes it worse. Way worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

For someone who is supposedly obsessed with all things book related I spend a surprisingly large amount of time outside the library. It was likely due to the fact that Hillsborough’s public library became the hangout place for all of the town's ‘popular’ students who liked to leer at the ‘bookworms’ such as myself who just wanted something to read. It wasn’t like this a few years ago, but things change. 

I had a system for the days I did visit the library. Since they tended to be very lenient when it came to checking out any number of book for the three weeks you could have them I would grab as much as I could carry and hopefully, if I was lucky, wouldn’t have to return until the three weeks was up. That wasn’t always the case as I was a fast reader but the system worked well enough that I couldn’t complain. 

That system was where I found myself today. 

It was a Thursday afternoon. The sun was high in the sky but the temperature was low. I pulled the jacket tighter around myself. It was around this time I was beginning to regret not listening to my mother when she said to take a coat rather than the ‘flimsy thing you call a jacket’. Not like I could say that aloud. How else am I supposed to be part of the teenage rebellion?

I welcomed the heater that was under the door when you first walked into the library. It was on full blast due to the cold temperatures outside. I stood under it for a minute before walking through the second set of doors that officially put me into the library. 

“Ah, good afternoon Miss Iris.” 

I shot a smile to Julia, the head librarian. She was a kind women who I've known for years, long before the new building opened back in the fifth grade. Her hair was in between black and gray, not quite one or the other. I asked her once why she didn’t continue to dye it whenever the black began to fade. She answered with a laugh and said that it was because she couldn’t decide which color she wanted. 

“Afternoon, Mrs. Julia. Any new books arrive?”

I was constantly asking about new books, always wanting to be the first one who got their hands on them. There was something exciting about reading something only a few people had before you. 

“Not this time, but the newest edition of Webb’s Tale was returned. Abigail has it on hold for you upstairs, dear.” 

That was the thing about Mrs. Julia. She was sweet as could be, always wore a big smile on her face, but insisted on calling everyone dear. It wasn’t like it bothered me. I didn’t mind it one bit. it was just a bit strange. 

“Thank you. I’ll pick it up before I leave. 

What about the biography of Beethoven, has that been returned yet?” 

She shook in head in response. I frowned. The biography was a relatively new book that I had been looking forward to reading since the release date was announced, but the release was just in time for Orange High’s Music Theory Explosion. 

Music Theory Explosion was an event that took place once a year. All music students at the school and even student under private instructors were invited to participate. It was a way to try and get more people into the music programs.

Whichever student wrote the best music related paper gained a three hundred dollar gift certificate to a local music store in the middle of town. The money came from   
revenue gained from band and choir concerts. 

I always thought about joining in on the explosion. For two years I had a chance to, but I never could convince myself to get involved. 

“As soon as it’s back, I’ll give you a call.” Julia pulled her glasses from her face and squinted at them. She brought them down to her shirt in order to clean some dust off of them.

I looked at her face. Really looked at her. I tried to think about how Alexander Webb might describe her in a novel. It was something I had been doing recently as a writing technique. 

Webb usually liked to start with the eyes as they were his favorite feature on the human body. He would probably mention how hers could rival a clear night sky. The blue was darker than daylight and the light reflecting held constellation within. 

Then again he might not say anything like that. After all, it is just an exercise. 

By now she had put her glasses back on and I was just staring at her silently. Had I been anyone else she might have been alarmed by this but I was known for being a bit weird. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Julia. I think I shall just browse them. Mr. Justin is supposed to be bringing back the books I previously had checked out. if you would, could you tell him I’m upstairs?”

Mr. Justin, as I liked to call him, was my family’s personal assistant. Or one of them at least. It was apparently one of the perks of having money. I found the whole ordeal tiring and just more material for the people at school. However there was the plus of not having to carry a surplus of books every time I wanted to visit the library after school.

“Of course, deary. Enjoy yourself.” 

I forced a smile on my face and stepped away from the desk. She began to type on her computer, likely working on what she had been prior to my arrival. 

I stopped at the foot of the stairs, dread filling my body. 

I wanted to walk up confidently and stride through the different sections as I decided on what books I wanted. It just wasn’t that easy. I knew that waiting up there for me were the people who I spend all day at school avoiding. 

Taking a deep breath I took the first step. 

The first step is always the hardest. I like to think of it as the make it or break it step. If you can get past that first step then you’re golden because once you get moving there isn’t anything stopping you, nothing holding you back. You’ve just got to get past it. 

At least that’s how it was for me. 

Once I was past that first step I was able to keep moving. There wasn’t any confidence behind my walk but it’s better than nothing. 

Like predicted, at the top of the stairs to the right, Lucy Davie and her gang all sat around three of the computers. There were seven of them in total with Lucy right in the middle. I tilted my head down in an attempt not to be noticed. Hiding behind my hair seemed like a great idea, but of course like hates me. 

“Is that blondie?” 

A voice called out. Austin earned a glare from Abigail, the upstairs librarian, but nothing else.

I ignored him and went straight to the young adult section. There was a fifty-fifty chance they followed me. If I was lucky they’d all be too busy with the computers to follow me or they just wouldn’t bother. If they did then well, I’m not one hundred percent against murder. 

I didn’t spare them a glance to see if they followed me. Instead I went straight to the far left isle. The young adult room wasn’t very large, only enough for three double-sided book shelves. Back in the sixth grade when I had weekly trips to the library I started on the far right and took three books until I eventually finished the self. As time went on and my visits became less and less frequent I’d start taking more books at one time to make up for the lost time. Now, here it is, five years later and I’m on the last shelf. That’s not saying I’ve read every book on the previous ones. Sometimes when I got to a book someone else would have it checked out and I’d just skip over it or the library would have added a new book that I never went back to read. 

That being said, I didn’t care much when it came to the books I read. The type, description, none of it mattered to me. If it was a book, I was going to read it. 

I walked towards the middle of the shelf near where I had last left off. There was a space in the shelf from the books I had previously checked out. It made finding where to start quite easy. 

“Is the Princess taking all the good books again?” 

I didn’t have to turn around to see who the voice belonged to. 

“I doubt you would know a good book if they started raining from the sky, Hunter.” 

“So the Princess can talk! It’s been so longer we were beginning to think that you had gone mute.”

Another voice piped up. This voice was higher. Lucy. 

I turned to face both of them. Hunter towered over me by a good six inches while Lucy was shorter. Hunter had his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. Blond hair stuck up in every direction. I looked him over, noticing that something was missing. Brown eyes were clearly visible, not hidden behind glasses of any kind. 

My eyes drifted to Lucy. Brown hair hung over her shoulders. She had a smile on her face but I knew not to trust it. Her eyes, as Webb would say, were dull vortexes leading us down into a hell. They were brown like her hair, something that would seem boring on anyone else but the way she held herself made them seem to stand out. 

“Let me ask you Hunter, does mother know you’re wearing contacts again or did you have to sneak them out? Or even better, are you walking around half-blind again?” 

He smirk turned into a scowl. 

“I don’t believe that is any of your concern.”

“You’re right, it isn’t. Just like my reading habits and talking skills are none of yours.   
Now, if you’d like, I have better things to do than get some sort of STD from you and your whore of a girlfriend. So please, be on your way.” 

I turned away from them mentally slapping myself. I was so screwed. Even if he didn’t say anything right now I was a dead women. I just signed my own death certificate. 

“That’s rich coming from you. We all know what happened last summer with you and Richard. I must say, I never knew you had that side about you.” 

I froze, my hands stopping on a book. This wasn’t news to me. Everyone knew what had happened between Richard Shipman and I last summer. It wasn’t that it exactly bothered me. I just didn’t care. There was something about hearing Lucy, Lucy of all people, saying it with so much disgust that was getting under my skin. 

There were a few options I had at this point. I could ignore it, turn and saying something, or change the subject completely. I knew ignoring it wouldn’t do any good as they’d just continue to pester me. Saying something wouldn’t help either as Lucy had her whole gang of friends just outside the room. Looks like changing the subject it is. 

“Hunter, will you be returning home with Justin and I or will one of your friends be dropping you off?” 

“Justin? Are you saying that Justin is coming here?” 

“Well of course. How else am I expected to get home? Actually, he’s due to arrive any minute now.” 

Hunter gritted his teeth. My card has been played. Can he top this or have I won the battle?

“Let’s go, Lucy. We have better things to do than talk to this trash. Besides, we have actual friends waiting for us.” 

“Agreed.”

Lucy took Hunter’s hand and led him away from the shelves. I watched as the two walked away from me. It appears that Hunter is still just as afraid of Justin as he was when we were younger. 

There were advantages to being the youngest sibling, especially when your parents hire the old babysitter who used to scare your older brother to cater to your every need. It’s not like I needed Justin to cater to my needs, he just felt like he had to in order for my parents to not feel like they were wasting money. 

“Miss Iris. I saw Hunter, he said you were in here.”

I turned towards the familiar voice, a smile already making it’s appearance. 

“Justin! So glad you’re here, can you hold these?” I grabbed a small stack of books from the shelf and pushed them into his arms before he could question or protest what I was doing. “How was your day? I know if must be so boring now that Christmas break is over and you don’t have me to talk to all day.” I leaned down to grab another small stack for myself to carry. 

“Are you sure you’ll be able to read all of these in the three weeks you’ll have them? This seems like a little much, even for you.” 

“Please, we both know if I really wanted to I could get these done before the days come back around. I just choose not to.”

“Iris, you know I care about you as I have been watching you since you were six, but what the hell does that mean? Before the day come back around?”

“By next week. Next Thursday. Another way I’ve started saying a week. Alexander Webb writes like that and I’ve decided I enjoy it. Speaking of Alexander Webb, Abigail has the newest edition of his Tale’s on hold for me. I’ll need to pick it up before we go downstairs.”

I turned from the shelves and walked out of the room. Sitting at the computers whispering amongst themselves was Lucy, Hunter, and Austin. The other four had left. Had Justin not been with me, I wouldn’t be comfortable with that information. Thankfully they had been to my house with Hunter enough to realize not to mess with me when Justin nearby. 

Sometimes he acts more like a bodyguard than a personal assistant. Not that I was complaining. 

“Hey, Miss Abigail! Julia said you had a book for me.” 

Abigail’s eyes lit up as I stood in front of her. She was much younger than Julia who was well into her sixties. Abigail was just out of college and working in the library while she worked on her novel. When she first told me about the novel I got her to promise that I would be the first person who gets to read it.

“I’ve had this on hold for you all week. A few people were disappointed I couldn't give it to them, but I can’t betray my favorite card holder.” 

She reached down to the floor where I knew she kept the books on hold. I had a part-time job here over the summer. While it wasn’t fun dealing with Lucy constantly, I got to spend time around the things I love most. 

“I read a bit into this while waiting for you to come pick it up, trust me when I tell you, you’re gonna love it.” 

Abigail came back up, the book in her hands. She blew at a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. 

“Allow me to help you, Miss Abigail.” Justin had set the books I gave him on the counter and leaned over, taking the pink strand and brushing it behind her ear. “I must say, while the blue looked nice on you, the pink looks phenomenal.” A blush spread across Abigail’s face. 

“Oh, uh.. Thank you, Justin. Your eyes look nice. They’re extra green today.” 

I’m not sure what kind of compliment that was supposed to be, but Justin seemed pleased enough with the fact that Abigail noticed him. 

The two of them stood there leaning towards each other, staring into the others eyes. I loved them both, but this was sad.

“As much as I’d hate to interrupt this flirting,” I leaned over and picked the book from Abigail’s hands. “I’ve got an English paper due tomorrow that I haven’t even started so I should probably be on my way.” 

They both sputtered out words along the lines of ‘it wasn’t flirting’ and ‘I was just being nice’. I ignored both of them. It was total flirting and they couldn’t persuade me otherwise. 

I took the stack of books Justin had put down and once again pushed them into his arms along with the others I had taken. He took the hint and gave Abigail one last smile before following me down the stairs. 

“Bye Hunter, see you at home!” I called out behind me. While I didn’t hate my brother, I didn’t particularly like him either. I may or may not have gone out of my way to get on his nerves but you couldn’t blame me. After all, I am the younger sister. It’s my job.

Justin placed the books on the counter where Julia sat. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet which held the green library card. She quickly scanned it then handed it back over and went through the process of scanning the books. 

“Large haul this week.” I nodded. “Sure you’re going to be able to finish them all?”

“I’m sure if I really wanted to I could have them done by next Thursday, but I think I’ll take my time with this one.” 

I placed the new Webb’s Tales on the counter for her to scan. 

“You know, there was one other person who asked about this as much as you. I think he’s new to town. I’ve never seen him before and he just got a library card on Monday. Perhaps he’ll be going to Orange.” 

I frowned. Someone new, coming to Orange? It wasn’t that often it happened but every time it did it all ended the same way. I had a friend for a week before they realized people would like them more if they just tried to make my life a living hell. 

“Alrighty, dear. The books are due back on the 29th. Enjoy.” 

She had placed the books in a bag as she scanned them to make them easier to carry. Justin had reached for the bag but I stopped him, taking it myself. He shot me a look that I gave smiled at. He wasn’t the one getting them, he shouldn’t have to carry them. 

“I’ll see you in three weeks. Take care, Mrs. Julia and say bye to Abigail for me!” I rushed out of the library and froze. I had forgotten just how cold it was outside. Justin followed me out. 

“Car is in the parking deck. Do you wish for me to bring it around or-”

I didn’t wait for him to finish talking, instead choosing to make my ways towards the parking deck. The faster we got there the faster he could start the car and the faster neither of us would be standing in the cold. 

He followed along, doing a little jog to get ahead of me. I didn’t mind. Justin had the keys and should be ahead. 

It was a straight walk to the parking deck so I took out Webb’s Tales and flipped to the back to read over the description. Since before the book had come out I had been reading over the description, looking into all the adventures. While I liked having my own personal copies of books I enjoyed, such as the entirety of the Webb’s Tales series, I didn’t like buying them until I had read the book and was certain I would enjoy it. Doing so otherwise just seemed like a way to waste money. 

“Justin, do you think that Webb will ever bring hi-”

I ran into something. 

Like, actually ran into something. 

It was all my worst dreams coming true. I was too busy focusing on a book and I ran into a pole. Only, it wasn’t a pole. Or a wall. It was a person. A boy to be exact.

Oh my god I actually ran into someone. I’m never going to live this down. Oh, please don’t be someone from school. Who the hell am I kidding, it has to be. It has to… I don’t know your face. 

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going, are you alright?” 

A hand reached down and pulled me up from where I had fallen.

I was on the ground? I hadn’t realized it before but I was just sitting there, staring at this guy, possibly looking insane. 

Justin had stopped and picked up the bag I had dropped. He left Webb’s Tales for me to get. 

“I didn’t mean to run into you like that,” I started. “I was just so caught up in the description of this book. I had been looking forward to it’s release and I finally got it.” 

The boy smiled. 

It was then I took in his appearance. He was about my height, maybe a little taller, with blue hair. It was dyed a color I’d seen in a TV show once and I felt bad for saying this, but it looked much better than Abigail’s ever had. 

“It’s quite alright. I do understand that. I’ve found myself getting lost in literature before.” 

Was this flirting? Was he flirting with me? Oh god, what was I supposed to do? Do I say something back or do I run and scream? Right now running and screaming was seeming like the best option. 

“I haven’t seen you around before.” 

“My family just moved here very recently. In fact, I only started coming to this library on Monday.”

So this was the mystery boy who liked Webb’s work as much as I did. He wasn’t anything like I was expecting. Then again I’m not sure what I was expecting. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t a blunette who apologized for me running into him. 

“Would you happen to be the one who’s been asking about Webb’s newest book?”

His eyes lit up. Dear lord his eyes. I felt like I could get lost in them. They were an electric blue brighter than I had ever seen before. 

“I take it you’re the beloved card holder who has had the book on hold all week?”  
I held up the book. 

“That would be me. Sorry about taking it from you.” 

“It’s no big deal. I suppose you could make it up to me.” 

“How so?” 

“There’s only two high school’s in this town. I’m going out on a limb and assuming you go to Orange?” I gave a nod. “Well then, Monday is my first official day. How about you show me around the school?”

I wanted to. I wanted nothing more than to give him the official tour of the school, but I couldn’t do that. 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea. I’m not exactly popular at the school. I’d hate to ruin your chances of friends before you even start.” 

“Nonsense. Why would I want friends when I could just have one who appreciates Webb as much as I do?” 

That wasn’t the response I was expecting. What do I say now? I could always say no once again or I could say yes and be selfish, ruining his chance of a normal highschool life. 

I didn’t realize I was shivering until his coat was draped over my shoulders. 

“I’ll give you the weekend to think about it. Come Monday and I’ll find you in school. You can decide then. Deal?”

A car horn honked and I looked to my left to see Justin had pulled around the car from the parking deck while I had been talking to mystery man. 

“Alright, deal. But you have to think about it as well. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t exactly popular. Befriending me would be signing your popularities death certificate on the spot.” 

I took off towards the car, leaving him behind. I opened the passenger side door and slid into the car. Justin had the heat blasting and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata playing on low volume. 

I pulled the coat tighter around myself. The coat I didn’t even realize I still had. 

Justin didn’t say anything about the coat and in turn I didn’t say anything about Abigail. It was an unspoken agreement.  
***

My parents allowed Hunter and I two skip days a semester. These were days we weren’t sick, but weren’t up to going to school either. I usually didn’t take mine despite the fact I was disliked by most people at school, I didn’t hate them or didn’t care enough to skip. 

Today was a different story. I didn’t feel like going to school. Of course this worried my mother immensely. 

“Are you feeling alright? You’ve never taking a day before. Are you just sick?”

A hand found it’s way to my forehead. I pulled away and shook my head. 

“I’m not sick. I just want to take a day. I did get the new Webb’s book yesterday. I want to finish it before the weekend is up.” I also have to decide if I’m going to take up mystery boy’s offer. “I’ll be back to school on Monday, don’t worry. I’ll even check the school website to be sure I don’t miss too much.” 

“Let her stay home, God knows she needs the extra sleep.”

I shot a look to Hunter who sat opposite from me at the table. He was shoving a pancake in his mouth. 

“Are you sure I’m the one who needs more sleep? I heard you coming in pretty late last night, in fact, I think I even heard a window open.” 

Hunter choked on the pancake and had to drink water. Our mother was glaring at him and I was smirking. Not sneaking out and being the problem child definitely had it’s advantages. 

“Hunter, you are to come home right after school. If you’re not back by four-thirty then expect to be losing your car and Iris, you know how I feel about you ratting your brother out. Phones, both of you.” 

There were of course sacrifices that had to be made. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the phone then placed it in my mother's outstretched hand. Hunter did the same, mumbling under his breath about it not being fair. 

“Have fun at school, Hunter. Iris, I’ll be working late with your father at the office today. We have a deal that needs to be finalized soon rather than later. Hannah will be cooking dinner tonight. You can give her your requests. Any questions?” 

Someday our mother acted more like a planner than mom. I didn’t complain. Some people didn’t have either. 

“Mom, your roots are beginning to show.” Hunter piped up. 

That was one of the other things about her. While Hunter and I proudly showed off blonde locks she tended to dye hers. More recently she had taken to dying it a dark brown. It went nice with her eyes. Like Hunter and I, she had brown eyes. She always said she enjoyed having brown against brown, said it added to her appeal. I didn't tend to like brown on brown, but it looked nice on her.

Besides, just because I had a personal opinion didn't mean I needed to voice it. I could say I disliked brown on brown except on my mother and she would take it to heart and change it.

“I think I’m going to return to bed now. Since I am taking a day I’m going to get some more sleep. Besides, Hunter said I needed it and who am I to doubt his concerns?”

I pushed away from the table and stood from the chair. I felt Hunter and my mother’s eyes on me as I left the kitchen. In the front room stood my father. He was wearing a blue suit and worked on straightening his tie. I didn’t bother stopping to say hello. 

Justin greeted me at the stairs. He voiced his concern about my decision not to go to school but I brushed him off. 

“Take a day, you deserve one. Go flirt with Abigail some more.” 

I didn’t bother waiting for a response. By the time he had opened his mouth to say something I had already climbed the stairs to the third story. 

Growing up I never thought of my family as rich as we were modest. The only thing indicating the potential of money the personal assistants and the house. The mansion had been in the family for two generations. It wasn’t very large in mansion standards, only a little bigger than the average house. It ended at three stories, not counting the basement. From what I understood, prior to Hunter and I’s birth the third story had once been an attic that our father renovated so the two of us could have our own space as we got older. That was probably done with the intention that we’d both still talk to each other in high school, but we didn’t care. 

Having the third story to ourselves meant not having to deal with inquiring parents as to why we didn’t speak to each other anymore. Both of us could do without that conversation. 

We each had our bedrooms at separate ends of the hall with a large media room in the middle, right at the top of the stairs. The media room was usually used by Hunter, especially when he had friends over. I tended to stay in my room. It was peaceful and quiet. 

My room was at the far left of the hall. The outside of the door had a poster from some anime I watched freshmen year. The main protagonist and antagonist stood back to back, each with flames traveling up their arms. I couldn’t remember the name of it, only that I hated the ending. 

The inside of my room looked like one would expect of someone who spent all their free time reading and writing. The floor was decorated with various books. The books from the library were all stacked neatly on one side while the ones I had purchased myself where on the other, haphazardly strewn around. I liked to mark pages with comments and concerns I had about the writing. 

On the far wall below the window was my desk. On it was notes, textbooks, and my laptop. The only thing ever used was the laptop, but I liked to keep up appearances. 

Mystery boys coat was draped over the back of the chair. 

The walls were bare, nothing hiding the darkened paint. Over the summer I had begun to paint them but time ran out before I could finish. Until I did, all the poster and pictures remained in the closet. 

I walked over the bed and collapsed on it. The comforter was still lying on the floor from where I had kicked it off earlier. I couldn’t be bothered to pick it up. There were more important things I could do. Like sleep. 

Of course when you’re Iris Irving things never go your way. 

The door to my room was pushed open and Hunter stepped in. He had since changed out of the pyjamas he was wearing at breakfast and was dressed in what could easily be described at the typical school uniform. Strange as our school didn’t have uniforms.   
There was a look on his face I didn’t recognize. It held something new. Concern?

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright. You never use your days.”

“I’m positive I’m fine, but how about you? You never come in here asking how I’m feeling. Are you ill? Do we need to call 911?” 

His face heated up and a blush covered his cheeks. 

“I may not act like it, but you’re still my little sister and I do in fact care about you.” 

“Hmph. I’m fine. No need to worry. Go run off to your girlfriend. She should be here any minute.” 

As if on cue a horn honked from outside. 

“Yeah yeah. Get some,” He stopped talking, his eyes drifting towards the desk. Towards the coat. “That’s new. My my, does little Iris have a secret boyfriend.”  
I threw a pillow at him 

“YOU’RE ONLY TEN MINUTES OLDER THAN ME. GET OUT.” 

Hunter ran from the room, laughing. I huffed and crossed my arms. 

There goes that secret. Now Hunter knows and soon enough the whole school may know. I didn’t need another repeat of Richard.   
***

Despite having originally planned to spend the day reading and perhaps even working on a novel of my own I found myself still in bed by the time noon rolled around. There was no one to tell me I had to get up and be a productive member of society and I was taking advantage of that. Never before had I just taken a day for myself. The idea was too appealing. 

Justin had come up earlier around eleven. He seemed a bit shocked when I kicked him out of the house but if I wasn’t doing anything he didn’t need to be here. Justin deserved a day to himself just like I was having. 

My thoughts kept drifting towards the mystery boy. His offer had been tempting, hell, it still was. I wanted to continue talking to him, I wanted to make a friend but the whole thing was starting to seem like some cheesy young adult novel.   
Girl is nerd with no friends. Girl meets boy. Boy changes everything.   
I didn’t want that. While the idea of having someone to call my own was exciting, I didn’t want to be the protagonist of some book. I was fine with being invisible. At least until high school ended.   
***

The weekend was far too short for my liking. While I knew it was Saturday and Sunday, hell, even Friday for me, Monday came by far too fast. 

I spent my weekend reading everything but the new Webb’s Tales. I wanted to save reading it. After all, I had made up my mind. 

Mystery boy needed someone to show him around and who better than the girl who knew all the paths hardly anyone traveled? While I knew it was likely he’d stop talking to me by the time he figured out his way around the school having a friend in the meantime would be nice. 

He had said he would find me Monday morning so I didn’t fret about where to go. Usually before school I would take refuge in the computer teachers classroom but today the teacher was running late. I resolved to sitting in the corner across from the room allowing me to stare longingly at the door. 

This morning Hunter had been insistent about getting a ride to school from Justin with me. While he played it off as wanting to spend time with his little sister and favorite assistant I knew better. Hunter had been off since Friday afternoon. It likely had to do with Lucy, so I didn’t care.

I was wearing mystery boys coat. I played it off as wanting to return it to him, but that wasn’t quite the case. It was comfy. 

In my lap I had Webb’s Tales opened up to the first page. I tried reading it but couldn’t get my mind to focus. Instead I was thinking about mystery boy. Why had he dyed his hair blue? Why did he ask me to show him around? Did he have any other favorite authors, if so who?

Thoughts were running bouncing around in my head a mile a minute. It was making it impossible to focus on just one thing. 

“A bit of an impractical place to be sitting, isn’t it?” 

My head shot up at the voice. Standing in front of me was mystery boy. His hair was just as bright, smile just as wide. I couldn’t help but stare at him. 

He cocked his head to the side and gave me a strange look. A blush fell across my face. 

“It’s a nice corner. I like it.” 

“Well, if you say so.” He reached a hand down. “Let me help you up.” 

I took his hand and allowed myself to be pulled up by him. He was strong. He was able to pull me and my bag up without even looking like he was straining. 

“Do you have a name or should I just continue to call you blue hair?” I asked brushing off my skirt with one hand while keeping a tight grip on Webb’s with the other.

“The name is Leo, like the constellation.” His voice was laced with pride. “What about yourself mystery girl?” 

“Iris Irving at your service.” I gave a curtsy. 

“Nice to meet you Miss Irving. Now that formal introductions are out of the way, did you think about my offer?”

“It wasn’t as much of an offer as a request, and yes, I did. If you still desire a guide then I shall show you around the school.” 

A piece of paper was pushed into my face. I blinked and took it from his hands. Printed on the paper was a schedule with a few all too familiar classes. 

“It appears that we have a few matching classes. First, third, and fourth. The only difference is our second periods. A bit strange, don’t you think?” 

He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. 

“I may have found out your name over the weekend and may or may not have made a trip to the counsellors this morning. I was already in the classes,just different periods. I got them switched.” 

“I’m swooning. You’ve known me for less than a week and you’re already changing your schedule to match mine, how sweet.” 

“I couldn’t get into Programming Two as I haven’t taken Programming One, but I did try.” 

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He just admitted to finding out my name just to switch into my classes. Should I be freaked out or complimented? I wasn’t sure. 

“Just know, talking to me is social suicide. You’ll likely end up on the radar of everyone in the school.” 

Leo shrugged. 

“Who cares. You seem interesting. Like a book not yet read. I intend to read it.” 

“I’m not so easily opened.”

“No one is as good at reading books as I am. Except perhaps you. I heard you have a reputation for it.” 

I ignored the comment. 

“Come one. I’ll show you to first early so you can talk to the teacher. Mrs. Smith is nice. it’s very unlikely you’ll end up on her bad side.” 

I took his hand and started leading him towards the English wing. If there were people staring and whispering about the freak and the new kid, well neither of us paid them any mind.


	2. Chapter 2

First period English with Mrs. Smith was interesting. 

Leo and I arrived there ten minutes before class started. I took him there through the 200 wing basement as many people didn’t didn’t bother going that way as it was slightly out of the way. 

We spent the walk talking about our favorite stories done by Webb. While I preferred his early works Leo preferred the later.

“It’s not that I don’t like his later works, I love them, obviously as I still read them, I just loved his original stories. It might just be because I tend to enjoy all authors earlier works. There’s just something about the lack of experience and unleashed creativity that I enjoy.”

“I see your point, the beginnings do tend to be better, but the experience gained allows for stories to let free more imagination than ever before. I feel that as anyone gains more experience it allows them to delve deeper into places they wouldn’t dare before.”

We walked up the stairs which took us from the basement to the first floor of the 100 wing. Leo followed me, trusting I wasn’t leading him to his death. 

“I always look forward to the new books, but I can’t get past my love for the original.” I opened up the door leading to Mrs. Smith’s class. She smiled as we walked in. “Good morning, Mrs. Smith. We have a new student.” 

Mrs. Smith was a kind woman in her early fifties. She had been teaching at Orange for nearly twenty years and didn’t plan on retiring anytime soon. She kept auburn hair tied back in a messy bun. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown. She had paler skin than even me, the recluse who spent all her time inside. She once told us that her pale skin and some unlucky sunburn caused for her to develop skin cancer. She fought the battle and won but was careful about going outside ever since.

I stepped aside so she could talk to Leo and walked to my seat. At the beginning of this semester I decided that if I was going to be treated like an outcast, I was going to act like a main character. 

Two weeks in and that planned worked well enough so far. My desk was at the far right corner of the room next to the window. There were three empty desks around me making my corner quieter than the rest of the room. 

At the front of the class I could hear Mrs. Smith talking to Leo and asking about what his last school had been like and what books his class had read. I tuned them out and went about pulling out my school-assigned laptop. 

Our school was on a program that provided a laptop for every student. The laptops weren’t very good. They were cheaply made and didn’t have any official programs that costs more money than the school was willing to spend but they got the job done.

The sound of someone sitting next to me pulled my attention back to the classroom. I don’t know what I was expecting. Leo had gone out of his way to try and be in the same classes as me, of course he was going to sit next to me as well. 

“You know, I think it suits you.” 

I looked at him with a slight head tilt. What suited me? 

He made a motion to my clothes and I looked down. 

Oh. OH. 

I was still wearing his coat. 

“I had meant to give it back to you. Here.” I started to take it off but he stopped me, a warm hand coming to my shoulder. 

“Keep it. Like I said, it suits you.” 

My face heated up at the compliment. 

“I couldn’t, it’s yours. I only still have it because I didn’t realize I took it with me on Thursday until I got home.” 

“Well, I’m saying you can keep it. I’ve got another at home that looks just like it, only a different color. Really, I won’t even know it’s missing.” 

I frowned but didn’t try to protest any further. It was obvious I wasn’t going to win the argument. Mrs. Smith walked over with a stack of papers. 

“Iris, would you help Leo fill these out? And then help him go through the process of setting up his laptop. Someone from downstairs is supposed to be bringing it up for him.” 

I nodded and leaned over to look at the papers. Leo had other plans and pulled my desk over so it was right next to his. I opened my mouth to protest but others started to file into the classroom. Mrs. Smith didn’t say anything about him pulling the desk closer so I shut my mouth and didn’t say anything. If she didn’t say anything then she must be alright with it. 

There were a few hushed whispers about the two of us sitting so close in the back. I paid them no mind and walked Leo through the process of filling out all the forms. 

“Okay, so this paper is essentially just a way for Mrs. Smith to have contact information with you and your parents. It’s likely that all your teachers will have you fill one out as they feel the need to have constant potential contact. Many teachers, as long as you do the work, don’t bother calling home.

This one is a permission formed needed to be signed so you’ll be allowed to read the different novels required for the class. Don’t worry about being behind on that one because it’s likely you’ve already read them and if you haven’t we’ve only just started the first as the semester is still new.” 

Leo pulled a folder from his bag and placed the two papers in it. 

“Okay, this next one is to allow use of any images taken of you by the school. I think they’re used to advertise certain programs at the school such as the music department and theatre.”

I was about to start explaining the next when Leo stopped me.

“I heard something about a Music Theory Explosion in the halls this morning. What exactly is that?”

“That’s essentially a yearly event in which students involved in different music programs whether they be with the school or under private instructors all write papers on anything music related. The winner gets three hundred dollars to spend at the music store in the center of town. I’m sure you saw it. It’s not large but it’s locally owned and very popular.”

“Any music related paper is fine?”

I gave him a nod. 

“People who are in classes at the school tend to focus more on what they’ve learned in class though I do know in past years people have done papers on famous composers and even their favorite modern music artists. If you want to join in on that I know the teacher who runs it. Just fill out an application and write your paper.”

“I may look into it. It sounds interesting.” 

“I’ve always thought about participating, but it’s not really my thing. Now, moving on,”

Taking his attention away from the Music Theory Explosion I walked him the rest of the way through the papers. It didn’t take very long and we were finished before the third bell rang signaling the start of class. 

“I’ll show you how to set up your laptop towards the end of class. I imagine that’s when it’ll be brought up. They’ve still got to build it. The help desk tends to put these things off until the last minute. 

In the meantime you can look off my screen. What we’ve been doing recently is choosing from a variety of different writing prompts given to us by Mrs. Smith and writing something based on what we feels best for the prompt. It can include recipes, directions, and even short stories.” His eyes lit up. 

“Everyone, eyes up here.” 

Mrs. Smith called everyone’s attention to the front of the class. I looked up to almost the entire class staring at Leo and I. He seemed smug while I was just embarrassed. When your entire class is staring at you the normal reaction is to be embarrassed. It just further proved my hypothesis that Leo wasn’t completely normal.

“I know we have a new student today but please refrain from distracting him and Miss Irving. They’re working on getting him settled in and caught up.” 

There were a few snickers from across the room. 

‘He’s befriending her?’

‘What a waste, he’s actually pretty cute.’

‘How long till he dumps her like everyone else?’

I ducked my head down in an attempt to hide beneath my hair. It didn’t work and their words were still getting to my ears. 

“You said we were doing writing prompts, right?”

A soft voice asked beside me.

I looked to my right to be met with Leo who had a smile on his face. 

“Yeah. We are.” 

“Since I haven’t got a laptop, do you think she’ll let us work on the prompt together?”

Together? I hadn’t thought of doing it together. I was originally just planning on giving him the laptop, letting him do his, and then taking it back and doing my own. Doing it together did sound much more appealing. 

“I’m not sure. She’s never let us work in partners on assignments like this before.” I glanced to the people in front of us, all talking in different circles, all working together. “I suppose that’s never stopped them before. If she accepts their work as bad as it is then I guess she’d accept ours.”

Leo took the laptop from my desk and plopped it onto his own. 

“Perfect. Now, I think we should do this one.” He pointed to prompt number four on the screen. 

Describe your dream world. Who is there, what is there? Are there any special and defining qualities that make it your own?

“Dream world, huh?” I thought about my life, about everything going on. I thought about the books I read, the world’s I wished to escape to. “For readers like us, I think this might be the easier prompt there’s been.”

Leo smiled and I swore I’ve never seen someone smile as bright as he had. He switched tabs, opening up a word document. 

“How shall we begin?”

I leaned over and positioned my hands above the keyboard. 

'An author and reader share a special connection. This connection is seen in the world the author creates. 

Whenever an author writes something, whether it been a short story or full blown novel, they create a new world for their readers to explore.

It’s only once this world is created that the reader gets to truly release their creativity. Readers who know how to embed themselves into the story tend to discover more things hidden throughout the story.'

Leo pushed my hands away and took over typing. 

'Readers get to add on to the story. While it’s not how the author originally intended it and is not ‘canon’ by other readers, for the one who created it, it’s their addition to the world they’ve come to love. 

It’s this new world, created not only by the author but by the reader, that becomes the dream world. No longer is it something meant for just one person or just one mind. It becomes a place of solitude shared by millions every where. 

All is welcome. 

No one is ever alone in this world. Due to this-'

I took the laptop back and prepared to continue on with his sentence when, “Time.” Mrs. Smith called out. I frowned but wasn’t too upset. While our description was short, it captured both of our feelings. 

“I’ll show you how we submit work.”

I took Leo through the process of logging into the class website and uploading work onto the website. He picked it up quickly. 

“Will my school account work or will I have to create an account?” 

“Your school account should work. Though if it doesn’t creating one with the website isn’t too hard. We can check it when they bring your laptop up which should be any minute now.” I glanced towards the clock which read 9:23. “Class is about halfway through, it shouldn’t take them too much longer to finish building it.”

“Well, if they can’t finish it, I wouldn’t mind sharing with you.”

Leo winked at me then turned his attention to Mrs. Smith. 

I blinked. 

I wasn’t used to this kind of attention. What was I supposed to do? I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure if this was counted as flirting or not.

“Iris, since Leo has just arrived and hasn’t gotten the permission form signed to read our novel, would you please take a break from class today and continue to help him?”

Once again all eyes were on the two of us. I ducked down, trying to hide from the stares while Leo smiled and waved at them. 

“Yes, ma'am.” I responded quietly. It took a moment but eventually the eyes left us and turned back to the front of the room.With them no longer staring I was able to focus on the task at hand, which was helping Leo. 

I didn’t have the bravery to tell her we had already finished the majority of the first day items and that all was left was the laptop setup. 

“So, Iris. What’s next? It looks to me like we’re done.

Shall we take this time to talk and discover more about each other?”

“Stupid flirt.” I muttered crossing my arms. “No, we shall not. What we will do is go through the process of setting up your school email. That is something we can do without your laptop.” I lifted my laptop and set it down completely on his desk. I didn’t miss the childlike pout he was sporting. “I trust you can logout of my account on your own?”

He moved the cursor above my profile. 

“This, correct?” I smacked his arm. He made a faux hurt face. “My my, kitten indeed has claws.” 

“This kitten's claws will gouge your eyes out if you don’t shut it and logout of the stupid profile.” 

Leo laughed and logged out of the profile. 

“The people in the office told me the basic login information. They said I wouldn’t be able to change my password until I got the laptop.” 

“That is true. Choose a password you’ll be able to change easily. They make us reset passwords once every couple of months. It’s annoying, but we deal.” 

“Any specifications?” 

“When you get the laptop you’ll find out. Until then you can just use the default login to get on and access your email. You’ll probably get one or two from the school just verifying that you’re logging on. Then you should get one that takes you to the school's website. Don’t worry about any of those. They send them to everyone.

After that I’m not really sure what to tell you. Until they bring up your laptop there isn’t much we can do.”

“Done. That was surprisingly easy. Now, you were saying about not knowing what to do? Well, I can think of a few things. None are exactly school appropriate, but we could have some fun.” 

Sure enough when I looked over he was logged in. The three school email’s say in his inbox. He deleted them, not even bothering to open them. 

“Well. I don’t even want to know what you were going to say.

You may not be allowed to read what we’re reading in the class, but that doesn’t mean you can’t read anything. Have you got a book or do you need to borrow one? I’ve got Webb’s Tales, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and a couple pdfs of novels written by independent writers on my tablet.” 

Silence. 

“I’m sorry, but did you essentially just say you have fanfiction downloaded on your tablet?” 

Ah. So he did catch that. 

“I can neither confirm nor deny.” 

I was half-expecting Leo to laugh, say something rude. I wasn’t expecting the grin. 

“You know, I think we’re going to become good friends.” 

***

After first I had Programming Two. It was a class that combined various types of coding into one class. As of right now we were working with SAS and sorting gathered data.

Or at least that’s what the majority of the class was doing. 

There were two ways Mr. Dawson had the class set up. There was the way in which you worked individually and moved forward at your own pace, typically faster than the rest. Then there was the one in which you followed along with the instructor and learned at a slower rate. 

Three people, including myself, chose the individual learning rather than as a class. 

The three of us sat in the back of the classroom at our own desktops so not to disturb anyone else. It was Zelda Thompson, named for the video game character, Richard Shipman, and I. 

Zelda, going against what all the memes on the internet stated, was a guy. He always joked around that his parents fought the nation’s naming system. Zelda was a relatively short guy who was overall nice to everyone. Back in freshman year a couple of seniors tried to ostracise him for talking to everyone they felt deserved to be alone but it didn’t work. Zelda’s personality was too inviting to ignore. 

He had light brown hair that was always falling across his face. A couple of times he came to school without having bothered to brush out the tangles from the night. I always thought my hair was bad, his was a nightmare. 

The thing about Zelda is he doesn’t like following the rules. Despite being well respected, he likes to stand out. His contacts usually achieve that for him. He wears ones that change his eye color so often many people forget his eyes are actually just brown. I haven’t forgotten. 

The other person who say back here with us was Richard Shipman.

The Richard Shipman. 

The Richard who I had a fling with over the summer and then decided that the best thing to do was brag about how he managed to convince the quiet girl to sleep with him. Of course that’s not how it went, but who believes the girl no one likes?

Richard was what one would expect from the typical ‘punk’ kid. He had red hair but a tendency to dye it various colors. Right now it was black with bright blue streaks running through it. 

I didn’t like it. Blue didn’t suit him like it suited Leo. 

The three of us were allowed to work as we pleased. Zelda was working on JAVA and Richard on LINUX. 

I stared at my screen, searching for errors in the code. 

PROC SQL;  
SELECT NAME, AGE, HIRE_DATE,  
FROM ORION.EMPLOYEE_WORKSPACE;  
QUIT;

There was a problem with it. That much I was sure of. What the problem was continued to fly past my head. 

Usually simple code like this went by perfectly with me. I could write it and complete it in a matter of minutes. My mind was wandering. It was unable to focus on the task at hand. 

Something poked me in the side. 

I turned to see Zelda, pencil in his hand. 

“I heard the new guy was talking to you, is that true?”

Sigh.

Leave it to Zelda to find out the latest gossip a mere hour after it happened. 

“Yes, we met last Thursday and I agreed to show him around the school today. I don’t think we’ll be talking once he’s figured it out, but one can hope.” 

Zelda gave me a smile. While we weren’t friends, mainly thanks to me, he didn’t treat me like everyone else is. 

“I don’t know, he may realize your charm. Any person with two eyes can realize it.” 

Beside us Richard snorted. 

“Charm? Please, she doesn’t have any charm about her.” 

“Richard, be nice. Just because the two of you don’t agree about things doesn’t mean you have to be so rude all the time.” 

“Are you on her side now, Zelda? I know quite a few people who would love to be hearing that.” 

“Tell them, I don’t care. I like Iris. She’s not only smart but also nice, unlike some people I know.” 

“Are you implying something?” 

“Will the two of you shut up.” I snapped at them. “I’m trying to fix this code, so shush.”

Richard scowled while Zelda gave a sheepish smile. He didn’t like to make anyone upset, it went against everything about his personality. 

“Comma.”

Richard had turned back to his computer while Zelda had looked over at my screen. 

“Huh?”

Zelda reached over and pointed to a comma after the date keyword. 

“There isn’t supposed to be a comma after the last variable. Take that away and the code should run flawlessly.”

Sure enough when I removed the comma the code ran without a hitch. I shot Zelda grateful smile.

While I didn’t like to consider us friends in order to try and save his reputation, he really sweet. 

***

A couple of years ago Orange had switched to a new, longer lunch, that was designed for students to have the chance to get tutoring in case it was needed. This lunch was an hour long and had most every classroom available for tutoring at some point during the period. 

Being that I tended to get all B’s with the occasional A, I never needed to take advantage of this time. With that as the case I would spend lunch in Mr. Dawson’s classroom. He was really chill with leaving me in here if he ever had a meeting or something that required him to be absent. I liked to think it was because I was best person in the school but I knew it fell more along the lines of the fact that I was a good student as Zelda and Richard got the same privilege. 

This time last year is actually the reason I got close to Richard… 

Today found me sitting in the front of the class rather than the front. I wanted to sit somewhere that Leo would find me easily if he was looking, though with ten minutes already gone by and no sign of Leo I wasn’t letting me get my hopes up. There was chance he made friends, real friends he could talk to without having to worry about his reputation, in second period. 

I didn’t mind it, no matter how much I wanted to. 

I knew that it was bound to happen sooner or later, though I was hoping it’d take a little longer than just a single class. 

The sigh I exhaled couldn’t be helped. I grabbed my bag and made my way to the back of the class where my desktop still sat, logged on and ready to go. 

Another five minutes passed of silence. Mr. Dawson had stepped out, kicking all students other than his own out of the classroom. 

It was another six before I heard the voices. 

“Lots of students come in here during lunch. Usually it’s his own students but if one hears about the games on the computers we get a bunch of unwelcomed guests. I don’t mind. To me it’s a great way of making new friends. Others have a different point of view.”

“By that I’m assuming you mean Iris?” 

The voices belonged to Zelda and Leo. A quick glance to the opening door confirmed that it was them. They were making their way through the hall towards the class.   
I had a few options at this point. All of which ended in some sort of an embarrassing situation for myself. I decided to turn back to the computer. They’d come over, hopefully.

Sure enough I was right. Or half right. Once they were outside the door Zelda pointed to the back of the classroom and Leo thanked him before Zelda walked away. I looked up and watched Leo as he walked over. There were stares from the few of Mr. Dawson’s students who still sat in the classroom.

Like first period he didn’t mind the staring. He acted like it didn’t phase him at all. Maybe it didn’t. 

He pulled out the chair next to me and sat down in front of Zelda’s computer. 

“Sorry it took so long. Counselor wanted to see me and then I ran into Zelda. He’s pretty nice. I like him. Don’t worry though, I don’t like him as much as I like you.” 

Leo gave a wink that had me blushing. Eyes were still on us. I glared outside the classroom at those who hovered by the door. They quickly scattered after that.

“Gee, thanks. Don’t I feel special.” 

“Is that sarcasm I detect?” 

I only smiled and turned my attention back to the computer. There were hundreds of questions on my mind, but no desire to speak them. I still wasn’t sure what was going on, what this was. Were we friends? Or was there the possibility we were something more? 

No. That couldn’t happen. Don’t be ridiculous, Iris. Just friends. You’ve only known the boy for four days. 

“This looks like the most expensive classroom in the school. Am I right?”

“What do you mean?”

He made a motion with his hands around the class. 

“There are what, forty desktops in here? Not even counting those laptops back there, and the spare parts just lying around. This has to be worth a couple thousand dollars.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” 

He wasn’t. Just off, by a bit. 

Or a lot. 

“Hmm.”

And that was that. He stopped talking, instead just watched me as I ran through various coding problems. After the initial conversation we sat in the comfortable silence, the only noise coming from my typing.

Eventually Mr. Dawson returned and reopened the classroom to other students. 

The usual lunch crowd of non-students wandered in. There were glances casted our way but no one dared say anything.

Many of the students people who came in knew who I was by rumors but also knew I was the one to go to if they had something wrong with their computers or phones. I was also Mr. Dawson’s favorite student. Being loved by teachers had it’s advantages. 

No one can say anything without the possibility of getting in trouble. 

“People in here don’t seem so bad. They haven’t said anything.” 

“Mhm. Most people here don’t really care enough to say anything. That and many of them need to ask for my help at some point during the school year and none of them want to get on my bad side.” 

“Well, seems like you’ve got a pretty good system going on then.” 

System? 

I had never thought of it like that, but I suppose it could be considered a system. 

“My whole life is based on systems. Most of them have been created to avoid people, though if you’re serious about this friendship thing then I guess I’m going to have to switch it up.”

“Was that what I thought it was? Are you saying you have the potential of caring about someone else? And it’s me? I’m so honored.” 

Leo threw his hands over his heart and feigned a shocked expression. 

I went through the process of logging off the desktop before turning my attention to him. 

He stared at me, waiting to see what I would do. 

Three, two, one. 

 

I slapped him. 

Not hard at all, but enough that the contact made a noise. 

Eyes were on us and there were hushed whispers about what had happened and what his response would be. 

I was expecting a variety of things. 

His laughter wasn’t one of them. 

He brought a hand up to rub his face where I had hit him and kept laughing.

“Must say I was not expecting that. If you really wanted to hit me all you had to do was ask. I didn’t know you were into that.”

Leo shot me a wink. 

I groaned and let my head fall down against table. The few people who were still staring at us began to turn away to focus back on their own work. 

I was beginning to thank the stars above that no one could see the blch on my face nor hear our conversation. I didn’t need that type of embarrassment to my name. Especially since it was already tainted enough. 

“Say, Iris, what exactly is Mythology? I mean, I understand that it’s mythology but is it Greek and Roman mythology or does it go into other cultures as well? Because I know a really good book on Norse mythology that I might recommend to you, if you haven’t read it of course.” 

“It does go into other cultures but right now we’re starting with Greek and Roman since it is the most commonly known. I’m sure you’ll be able to catch up quickly.

The class is online, sort of. Our teacher left and they haven’t been able to find a replacement so we have a substitute and the head English teacher generates assignments for us to complete. Usually you can complete all of the weeks assignments on Monday.

I can help you finish the assignments from the past two weeks. It’ll be quite simple for the two of us.” 

Leo gave a grateful smile. 

“Thanks, Iris. For all of this. Most people aren’t usually this open to new students. At least they weren’t at my old school.”

“At this school most people aren’t open to me. I should be the one thanking you.” 

After that exchange we fell into silence until the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. I packed up my bag quickly and slipped it on my shoulders. Leo took his time putting up his things. 

Once he had his bag on his shoulders I took his hand and pulled him from the room. 

The halls were filled with people and yelling voices. I automatically released his hand, not wanting anyone to see my holding it. Not because I was embarrassed, but because he still had a chance of making friends if he stopped associating himself with me. 

“Where to?”

I glanced behind me to see him smiling. 

Maybe I didn’t want him to make other friends, at least not yet.

***

It wasn’t until halfway through third period that someone from the help desk finally brought his laptop up. 

Mr. Sprintz, the semi-permanent substitute, didn’t mind letting the two of us sit in the back of the classroom to set it up. That might be because I was usually quiet in class and didn’t bother speaking up, but I wasn’t positive. 

Either way it was nice not having to worry about focusing on classwork for once. I could do the mythology at home. It was only check once a week anyways. 

“I’m not very good with tech or anything, but aren’t these laptops horrible? I mean, this looks like it cost maybe a hundred bucks, if that.” 

I rolled my eyes at his complaints about the laptops. I figured when he saw them he might complain about their quality. Most people did. 

“Yeah, they’re pretty horrible, but they get the job done. And between you and me,” I looked around us to be sure no one was listening before leaning down to whisper, “I can get past the firewall. There are hardly any blocked websites for me.” 

“I think I’m starting to understand what kind of person you are.” 

“Have I already begun to turn you away?” 

“Hell no. If anything, you’ve pulled me closer.”

There he was with that smile again. It should have been illegal to have a smile as nice as his own. It had to be.

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” 

“Not even a phone number?”

“I don’t exactly have a phone right now.” I responded to his questioning look with a shrug. “I may or may not have tattled on my brother and gotten both of our phones taken away. I never really used it for anything except music that I haven’t really noticed it’s been gone.” 

“Doesn’t really seem fair now, does it? You tell your parents about something your brother did and you get punished.” 

“I’m just kind of used to it I guess. I used to tell on him a lot when we were younger, my mother got a bit tired of it. I can’t really blame him. I was a pretty annoying kid.” 

“You? Annoying? Never.” 

“You’ve only known me for four days, you’ll find out soon enough. I prefer books to social contact.” 

“I guess I’ll have to be the one to change that.”

Throughout my whole life there has been people trying to break that habit of mine. So far it hasn’t worked. However, I was willing to give Leo the benefit of the doubt. He seemed different than the others who tried to break past my walls. 

He seemed like he actually could.

After all, who was I to turn down someone who appreciated Webb’s Tales as much as I did?

“Maybe you’ll be able to. But that’s a big maybe. Don’t go getting your hopes up.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of it. Now, about that laptop. Would I get in much trouble for changing a few settings? I’ve got a friend who might be able…”

I couldn’t help but stare at Leo as he talked. 

He invested himself into his conversations. His hands moved as he spoke in an attempt to make his points sink in the listener. His eyes would light up as he talked about something he was passionate about.

Everyone time he spoke about books his voice would change pitch. It would go slightly higher to accompany the faster pace in which he was speaking.

He was just as passionate about reading as I was. 

That was something new. 

No one I had ever met before cared about novels like I did. Many students just viewed them as annoyances teachers made us read for a grade. They weren’t able to appreciate the author behind the story.

The words were just words to them. Their imaginations lacked the creation needed to enjoy a good novel. They couldn’t create the story, not like how Leo and I could.

We didn’t just create the story. We lived it. The stories were alive inside of us. We followed the characters through the hardships and helped overcome them. 

“Hello? Earth to Iris?”

I blinked. 

Leo was waving his hand in front of my face. 

“You alright there? You kind of zoned out so I stopped talking but the bell rung and I’m not sure how far our next class is from here.” 

I zoned out? 

I actually zoned out in class? 

That was new. I was only thinking. I never zone out while thinking. Had I been reading it would be a different story but I wasn’t. I was just thinking. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” A quick glance around showed that most of the class had already left and we were two on the only people left. Leo had already put his laptop up and had both of our bags hanging off his shoulders. “Next is Pre-Calculus with Mrs. Carter. It’s not a terrible class, but it is in the 400 wing. We should probably get going.” 

I stood up and reached to take my bag only to have Leo block it. 

“I’ve got to repay you for this somehow. This can also be repayment for the Math tutoring.” 

“Math tutoring?”

“I never said I was good at math. I’m going to need the help. And if you’re good at everything else I’m assuming you’re good at math? 

Please be good at math. I don’t know what I’m going to do without help.” 

“Yeah, I’m decent at it. Not the best, but I can maintain an A.” I gave him a nudge to the door. “Get walking, we’re not going to be late.” 

Leo allowed me to push him through the halls. 

We were lucky the school had finally finished the new hallway they spent two years trying to build. It cut the walk between the 400 wing and 200 wing in half. That coupled with the six minutes between classes got us in the room with two minutes to spare. That was enough time for him to talk with Mrs. Carter and get the usual first day of school papers. 

Mrs. Carter was probably my favorite teacher aside from Mr. Dawson. 

She was young, had only been teaching for three years. She was recently married and would bring us stories about her husband. 

Her hair was constantly changing, not colors but how she would style it. Today she had it in curls. They framed her face nicely. The bleach blonde locks really helped her eyes stand out. Her eyes were a blue-green color, they reminded me of the ocean. Not quite sparkling blue but not a dirty green either. Somewhere in between. 

Like English I decided to treat this class like I was a main character. The window overlooked the courtyard which allowed for me to gaze outside and pretend something dire was going to happen and only my newly awakened superpowers were going to be able to help us. 

Of course that was only fiction, but a girl can dream.

Leo was still talking with Mrs. Carter when the bell rang. Most students used this as an opportunity to goof off. 

I pulled out my binder and laptop to get started on the warm-ups I knew she had posted on the class website. Currently we were reviewing basic equations. The warm-ups she had been giving us consisted of identifying the type of graph and equation created. 

Meaning it took me less than a minute to do all five problems. 

At that point I usually sat around until everyone else finished which seemed like it was going to take longer than usual. 

I took advantage of the time to pull Webb’s Tales from my bag and open to the last page I had read. 

Which was page ten. Of two hundred and three. 

I couldn’t help it. Every time I tried reading over the past few days my thoughts went to a certain blue eyed boy who I had run into because I was so excited to read the book. 

Could I blame Leo for being the reason I wasn’t able to read this past weekend? It didn’t quite seem fair, but I was going to blame him anyways. It was his fault somehow. He was distracting me with his stupid eyes and stupid smile and stupid hair I just kind of wanted to run my fingers through.

NO. 

Bad Iris. Don’t think things like that. 

It was hard not to, though. Ever since the two of us met he’s been on my mind. He’s been kind, even after finding out who I am. 

Feeling this way about him was perfectly normal. He was a young man and I was a young lady. Besides, it wouldn’t be anything more than that. I learned my lesson after Richard.

Teenage boys just can’t seem to keep their mouths shut sometimes. 

Someone sat down at the desk beside me and I didn’t need to look over to know who. 

“Mrs. Carter said you can help me with the warm-up if I didn’t understand it. Kind of sad too, I actually know this. I was hoping to have an excuse to talk to you.” 

“We’re allowed to talk while working, I don’t know if you’ve noticed everyone else in the room. They don’t know when to shut up.”

“Ouch, harsh. Though I can’t deny. They have been talking pretty much nonstop since the bell has rung.” 

“It’s not usually like this. Mrs. Carter can rein them in most days, I think it’s just because she was distracted with a new student.” 

“Wow, new student, what a jerk.” 

I smiled at what he said. 

“Yeah, what a jerk.” 

***

Math passed by faster than I would have liked it to. 

Soon enough the two of us were walking from the classroom together. 

“Do you drive yourself or ride the bus?” 

“I actually walked to school today. House isn’t too far and parents haven’t had time to take me to the DMV to get a new license for North Carolina. Until then I’ll be walking.” 

He walked to school? I bit my bottom lip nervously.

“W-Would you like a ride home? I’m sure Justin wouldn’t mind driving you.” 

“While I appreciate the offer, I’m going to decline. I’ll be fine with walking. It’s a nice day out, I want to enjoy it before the temperature drops again.” 

“Alright. I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I made a motion to Hunter who was standing by a tree as if he was waiting for me. 

“Tomorrow.” 

Leo smiled and gave a small bow before turning and walking off. 

I stared after him, barely noticing Hunter when he came up beside me. 

“That the new kid?”

“His name is Leo.” 

“I don’t like him.” 

I turned to Hunter. 

“Do I look like I care what you think? Let’s go. Justin is waiting for us.” 

I didn’t wait for a response. Instead I walked to the front where I knew Justin would have the car waiting. 

Hunter tried to talk to me again in the car but I ignored him. 

 

Because for the first time in years I found myself looking forward to school tomorrow.


End file.
